Time in the Teachings of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi

penimiyut
] of the commandments and their hidden 
reasons. The revealed aspects, however, will be manifest and known to every 
52
See TO 99a, discussed in Wolfson, 
Open Secret
, 233. In 
Tanya
the capability of self-nullification is 
described as the readiness of every Jew for martyrdom expressed in the hidden love of God [
ahavah 
mesuteret
]. See T1, 14:19b, and Elior, 
Paradoxical Ascent
, 216; Foxbrunner, 
Habad
, 100, 180-1; 
Hallamish, “Mishnato ha-‘iyunit,” 320-3; Loewenthal, “Self-Sacrifice,” 463-5. 
53
See TO 6a; Maimonides, 
Mishneh Torah
, Hilekhot melakhim 11:4.

---

129 
Jew as an innate knowledge, which can never be forgotten. Only the mixed 
multitude will have to occupy themselves with these [revealed aspects of 
Torah], because they will not merit the taste of the Tree of Life
54
which is the 
inner aspect of the Torah and the Commandments. They will need to occupy 
themselves [as Torah study] with the 
Mishnah
in order to weaken (by their 
occupation with Torah) the power of the 
sitra ahara
, which cleaves unto 
them, so that it will not dominate them – causing them to sin. Thus Scripture 
says: “But the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed” [Is 
65:20]; this refers to the sinners of the mixed multitude.
55
The above excerpt is a direct continuation of the passage quoted at the beginning of 
the present chapter, which contained Rashaz’s musings on the status of the Torah 
and the 
mitsvot 
in the days of the Messiah and the resurrection of the dead. Here he 
goes on to explain that the commandments will remain valid even in the days of the 
Messiah, and yet Israel’s access to them will become quite different: they will need 
to concern themselves only with the inner, mystical layers of the Torah (e.g. the 
reasons for the commandments), but they will not be occupied with the non-mystical 
layers, as these will have become their “innate knowledge,” knowledge that does not 
need to be acquired and memorised by means of study. Only the “mixed multitude” 
will be compelled to study the revealed, non-mystical, halakhic facet of the Torah, in 
order
 
to know how to avoid transgressing it. In its original context, the Biblical term 
“mixed multitude” [
‘erev rav
, Ex 12:38] refers to the people who accompanied the 
Israelites on their way out of Egypt at the Exodus. Rashi explains the term as 
“strangers” or “converts” [
gerim
],
56
and he later finds them responsible for the 
idolatrous sin of the Golden Calf.
57
Rashaz accordingly seems to understand 
‘erev 
rav
as the gentiles who will accompany Israel on their way towards the final 
redemption.
58
They will comprise those who would accept the yoke of Torah and 
54
The original has the zoharic Aramaic phrase: 
lemat‘am me-ilana de-hayei
(Ziii, 124b
.
55
T4, 26:145b [Appendix 4]. See also 
b
Pesahim 68a; Zi, 114b. 
56
See also Onkelos to Ex 12:28, where 
‘erev rav
is translated as “many gentiles” [
nukhra’in sagi’in
]. 
57
Rashi to Ex 32:4. On the responsibility of the 
‘erev rav
’ for the sin of the Golden Calf, see also 
Shemot rabah
42:6. See. MAHZ 
5572
, 69-72. 
58
Since 
‘erev rav
is contrasted here with “every Jew” [